There is an old saying in regards to gullible people, and that is "He/She must have been beaten with a 'stupid stick' to fall for that!" Sad to say, sometimes this saying is true, especially for a number of people who have fallen victim to the following scam.

There are a number of agencies which are marketing various sorts of diplomatic and hereditary titles who assert that, if you buy one of these titles, you will be forever free from paying federal taxes because you are protected by the title. This assertion is a lie! Once again, if you are a U.S. citizen, you have to pay taxes regardless of what titles you hold.

While it is true that, in some countries in Europe, you may legally purchase a heriditary title (such as Baron of Westminster, Graf Von Wiesburg, Doge of Sienna, etc.) However, having such a title DOES NOT give you tax exemption, plain and simple. Another scam is agents in Africa (Nigeria is the main culprit) offer to sell you Diplomatic titles (such as Minister without portfolio, Consular advisor, Knight of Malta, etc.). These agents will tell you that having diplomatic clearance makes you exempt from paying taxes. Once again, this is a lie!

Purchasing a hereditary title might get you preferential treatment if you're trying to make a reservation at Claridge's in London, or to get head of line priveleges at a famous nightspot. But that's all. The same goes for diplomatic titles. You may be able to get a diplomatic license plate and, possibly, not have to worry about getting ticketed. But, once again, that would be all you would get. (By the way, the average cost for such "priveleges" is $25,000).

Long ago, if you had one of these titles, at the most it would have helped you get through U.S. Customs a little quicker, but not anymore. These titles have been so abused that every government agency has cracked down on them. What is worse, if you try to use such a title (hereditary or diplomatic) and you are obviously a U.S. citizen who is attempting to use this title to ease through Customs, you'll probably be scrutinized a lot than the average tourist.

It can't be stressed highly enough: These titles are worthless. They're great if you're trying to impress someone, but that's about all they are good for. And, they're too costly besides. Having such titles will only draw unecessary attention to you, causing you headaches, and they're counterproductive for whatever you wanted to use it for.

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